Sandwich-vending machine



Dec. 22 1925. 1,566,392

A. J. FULWOOD I SANDWICH VENDING MACHINE Filed April 5. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 22 1925.

I A. J"FULWOOD SANDWICH VENDING momma:

Filed April 5. 1924 :s Sheets-Shut- :s

Q /3 I i Z /0 iv 2/ :13 J! a I a? y w a J7 Patented Dec. 22, 1925,

UNITED STA ALFRED J. FULWOOD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SAN DWICH-VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed April 5, 1924.

To all w from it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. FULwooD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, 6 have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sandwich-Vending Machines, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to vending machines of the coin controlled type, and has more particular reference to a highly eflicient and relatively simple machine whereby sandwiches may be vended in an easy and con venicnt manner. g

The primary object of the invention is to provide a machine that includes a plurality of sandwich compartments whereby the cliffferent kinds of sandwiches may bevended, each compartment including coin controlled vending mechanism, whereby the articles within any one of the compartments may be obtained by the purchaser.

A further object is to provlde, in a ma chine of this character, coin cont-rolled vending mechanism that is positive in operation, relatively simple of construction, and of such a nature as to preclude any chance of the vending of more than one article at the insertion in the machine of but a single coin.

An additional object resides in the. provi sion of a vertically arranged. row of sand wich supporting shelves in each of the machine compartments, these shelves adapted to drop to an inoperative unsupporting position through the operation of certain mechanism when a coin is inserted in the machine, after which the sandwiches will fall into a delivery chute of that particular compartn'ient so as to be obtainable by the purchaser.

A still further object is to provide means for positively maintaining the shelves in a normally horizontally disposed sandwich sup-porting position, until certain of the mechanism is operated, thru the medium of a coin.

Yet another and important object resides in the provision of coin controlled mechanism, whereby the different shelves are successively tilted upon their pivots at each insertion of the coin and the subsequent rotation of an operating knob.

A still further object is to provide a machine of this character, wherein the same may be readily filled with sandwiches after the difierent compartments thereof have bepoms emp ied, and wherein money 1'85 Serial No. 704,484.

ceived may be readily vremoved from the machine at the time of refilling the same.

A still further object is to provide means for indicating the fact that the different compartments have become empty, said means being operable by the tilting of the uppermost sandwich supporting shelf of each compartment.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view as the nature of the invention will be better understood, the same comprises the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the different views:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View with port-ions thereof partly broken away, of a sandwich vending machine constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken substantially upon the line 22 of Figure 1, for more clearly disclosing the coin controlled sandwich supporting shelf tilting mechanism, of one of the sandwich compartments,

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially on the broken line 33 of Figure 2, looking downwardly in the direction of the arrow,

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view, taken substantially upon the line 44 of Figure 2, for disclosing in side elevation, the spring means for retaining the vending mechanism operating shaft to its normal position,

Figure 5 is a similar view, taken substantially upon the line 55 of Figure 2 for disclosing more clearly the coin releasing mech anism that is an essential portion of the pres ent invention, I

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken through the mechanism operating shaft for disclosing more clearly the 'means whereby the shaft may be returned to its normal position through the medium of the before mentioned spring, without aifecting the return of the shelf tilting mechanism 81' so. P Figure '7 is an elevat-ional view'of a mechanism for operating an empty or full indica ing me ns pr vided in each of the ma ehine cbmparteeiits,

Figure 8 is a detail section taken through said mechanism operating shaft, and this substantially upon the line 88 of Figure 2, for disclosing in side elevation the means whereby the coin will be released from the shaft, through which the same passes after the rotation of this shaft.

Now having particular reference to the drawings, my novel vending machine constitutes the provision of a casing 5, the major portion of which is of metal. This casing includes a rear wall, top and bottom walls, side walls, and a relatively narrow front wall 6, at its lower edge. Said casing is so constructed as to provide a pair of compartments 7 and 8 that are to be closed by hinged doors 7' and 8 respectively, that carry suit-able locking means as shown in Figure 1.

These different compartments are to receive sandwiches of different natures, and in this instance it might be well to state that the casing may be so constructed as to include more than two sandwich compartments if the same is desirable, and this without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The dispensing mechanism for each of the compartments is identical in construction, and a description of one will suffice for both.

Within each of these casing compartments, and at the center of the casing is a verti ally arranged housing, designated generally by the reference character 9, the same including a front and rear sheet metal wall 10 and 11 respectively, Figure 2. Pivotally secure-d at one end, between the walls of this housing are spaced sandwich supporting shelves 12, the lowermost shelf being arranged at a point considerably above the relatively narrow front wall 6 of the machine casing 5, as clearly shown in Figure 2. Each of these shelves carries at its front edge and at its pivotal end, an arm 18 that passes inwart ly over the front wall 10, of the housing 9, when. the same is in a horizontal sandwich supporting position, as shown more clearly in Figure 1. Pivotally arranged upon the inner side of the front wall 10 of said housing 9 at points beneath the pivotal connections of the shelves 12, are dogs 14 that correspond in number to said shelves 12. The noses of these dogs normally engage through openings 15, in said wall 10 of the housing 9, for engagement over the arms 18 of the shelves, for maintaining said shelves in a horizontal sandwich supporting position. These dogs are maintained in an operative shelf arm engaging position, through the medium of leaf springs 16, that are rigidly secured to a vertically arranged metal wall 17 dispose-d within the housing directly rearwardly of the forward wall 10 thereof. As clearly shown in. Figure '2, the "'rre-e" ends of these springs contact the heels of the dogs 14, for normally extending the noses thereof through the openings 15, for a purpose just set forth. Journalled at its opposite end within suitable spaced brackets 18 and 19, secured to the bottom wall 20 0f the machine casing is a horizontally arranged stub shaft 21 that carries at one end a sprocket wheel 22, and adjacent its opposite end a bevelled gear 23. At the upper end of the housing 9 is a suitable idler sprocket gear (not shown) and trained over these sprocket gears is an endless chain 24, that comprises pivotally joined links 25. One of the links of this chain, which is designated 26, is formed with a forwardly and downwardly extending arm 27 that is equipped at its forward end with an idler roller 28, that is adapted for rolling contact with the rear side of the housing wall 17. before described. This wall 17 is formed at points beneath the pivotal connection of each of the dogs 14, with openings 28 through which extend inwardly and downwardly extending arms'29 formed integrally with each of said? dogs 14, as clearly shown in Figure 2. It will therefore, be obvious that in the operation of the chain, in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 2, the roller 28 will successively strike the arms 29 of the dogs 14, for obviously swinging the same against the action of the spring 16, for thereby releasing the arms of the shelves for allowing the same to drop, and be relieved of the sandwich supported thereon. Certain other links 25 of said endless chain are each formed with forwardly extending substantially triangularly shaped shoes 30, that have contact at their forward edges with said wall 17, for obviously preventing the return of the dogs 14 against the action of said springs. Rearwardly of the wall 17 is a metallic parallel extending strip 81, over the front face of which the chain links ride, for maintaining the shoes 30, in engagement with the wall 17, for an obvious purpose.

Journalled at one end within a bearing plate or bracket 32 secured to the bottom wall 20 of the casing, and at the inner side of the housing 9 is a forwardly extending two part shaft, the sections of which are designated respectively and 34. The front end of this shaft extends through the short front wall 6 of the casing 5., and is also journalled within a bearing 35, formed upon the upper end of an arm 36, that is anchored to the inner side of said casing wall 6, as clearly shown in Figure At the inner end of this sectional shaft is a spur gear 37 that has mesh with a spur gear 38, upon a stub shaft 39, suitably journalled at its opposite ends atone side of the shaft 34. This stub shaft is additionally equipped with a bevelled gear 40, the teeth of which if" to 33 and 34 are provided with mating transverse notches or slots 33 and 34, respectively, for the reception of a coin 41, that effects a shaft section keying means whereby, when the section 34 is rotated through the medium of the knob 40, this rotation will be imparted to the shaft section Terminating at one end within an opening in the wall 6 of the machine casing 5 is acoin'chute 22, the other end of said chute terminates directly above the slot formed by the mating notches 33 and 34, in the shaft sections 33 and 34 respectively. The innermost section 33 of said shaft passes through registering openings in the side walls of a vertically disposed open shaped metallic frame 43, secured at its lower end to the casing bottom wall 20. Slidable through bearings 44 and 45 re spectively carried by a horizontal arm 46, within said frame, at a point beneath the shaft section 33 are pins 47 and 48 re spectively, the lower ends of which have pivotal connections with the opposite ends of a link 49, that is pivoted intermediate its ends at 50, whereby when one of said pins is moved upwardly, the other will be moved downwardly, and vice versa. The upper end of the foremost pin 47 is yoked as at 51 for engagement over the opposite sides of the shaft section 33, as clearly shown in the detail sectional view, Figure 5.

The shaft section 33 is provided, upon its under side, with a longitudinally extending slot that communicates at its-forward end with the notch 33 in said shaft 33, and at its rear end with a relatively deeper slot 53, Figure 5. Pivoted within this slot 52 is a lever 54, the rear end of which is formed with a downwardly bent and inwardly ex tending extension. 55, that is normally positioned with respect to the relatively deeper slot 53, as shown in Figure 5, and in. this position, said extension bears against the yoked end of the pin 47. It will thus be seen that when this lever 54 is in the position shown in Figure 2, the coin 41 will be prevented from passing entirely through the slot in the sectional shaft, due to the fact that the forward end of this lever extends slightly within'this slot and provides an abutment for the coin. As hereinabove set forth, the positioning of the coin within the slot of the sectional's'haft will affect a key between the shaft sections 33 and 34 and allow the shaft section 33 to be rotated due to the rotation of the shaft section 34 through the medium of the hand knob 40 on the outside of the machine casing.

Theshaft section 33 is further'formed at a point in line with the pin 48, with a cam :member 56, whereby when the shaft is turned, this cam member Wlll engage the upper end of the pin 48 for manifestly forcing downwardly upon the same, which downward movement of this pin will occasion the upward movement of the pin 47 and the consequent swinging of the lever 54 upon its pivot into the dotted line position at F igure 2. The lower end of the pin 48 is pro vided with abevelled shoulder 57, with which engages a pivoted and spring pressed dog 58, for maintaining this pin in a downwardly extended position, and for maintaining the pin 37 in an upwardly extended po sition, against the action of acoil spring 59, that encircles said last mentioned pin.

The sectional shaft is only permitted to be turned one-fourth of a revolution through a means hereinafter more fully described, and after this shaft has been turned'this onequarter revolution, the same is returned to its initial position through the medium of a clock spring 60, secured at one end to the shaft section 34, and at its other end to the inner side of the casing front wall 6, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 4. After the sectional shaft has been fully returned to its initial position, through the medium of this clock spring 60, the coin will be allowed to drop from the slots into a coin re ceptacle 61, due to the fact that the lever 54 is maintained in the dotted line position, above described.

The upper end of the before mentioned dog 58 has connection with a bell crank 62, through the medium of a rod 63. This bell crank is pivoted, as at 64, to the coin chute 42, adjacent the inlet end thereof. One arm of this bell crank 62 is formed with a nose 65, that extendsv inwardly of the chute through a slot 66, formed therein, and upon the next insertion of a coin, this bell crank will be swung upon its pivot for manifestly drawing upon the rod 63, which will swing the dogs 56 upon its pivot against the action of the before mentioned. spring, for thereby releasing the spring 48, after which the same will be forced in an upward direction through the downward movement of the pin 47, underthe action of said spring 59, for obviously allowing the lever '54 to return, in order that the incoming coin will be maintained in position between the shaft sections for providing a key.

The before-mentioned spur gear 37, upon the inner end of the shaft section 33 is not connected directly to this shaft, but is disposed for anti-friction: rotary movement upon a disc 67, keyed to said shaft section 33, said spur gear 37 being obviously in the form of a ring gear, as more clearly shown in Figure 5. The disc 67 is of considerably less cross sectional area than said ring gear 37, and pivoted to one side thereof is a tangentially extending relatively elongated pivoted dog (38, that is adapted for selective engagement within relatively long spaced beveled pockets (39, formed upon the inner surface of said ring gear, the forward ends of these pockets terminating in shoulders 70, with which abut the forward end of the dog 68, it being obvious that this dog is forced outwardly for engagement within these pockets, through the medium of an expansible coil spring 71.

The coin tray for each compartment is removably disposed within an opening in the narrow front wall 6 in the machine casing 5, and the same may be locked therein, through the medium of any desirable form of locking mechanism 7 2. i

The forward wall of said casing 5, forwardly of each of the casing con'ipartments is formed with a windowed opening 7 for displaying indicating plates 7% or 75 upon the opposite ends of the cross arm of a T- shaped arm 76, that is pivoted at one end,

as at 77, to the inner side of said casing front wall. The disc 74 is provided with the word Full while the disc 75 is provided with the word Empty. This arm 76 has connection with one end of an up wardly extending rod 78, that is, in turn, pivotally connected at its upper end, as at 79, to the uppermost sandwich supporting shelf 12 within the particular compartment, it being obvious that when this shelf is in its normally horizontally disposed sandwich supporting position as shown in Figure 7, the Full disc will be displayed behind the window opening 7 3. However, when this uppermost shelf is tilted, through the medium of the actuating mechanism, the rod 79 will be forced downwardly for manifestly swinging the arm 76 upon its pivot, for displaying in back of the windowed opening, the Empty disc 75.

The bottom wall of the machine casing 5, at each compartment of the casing is formed with an opening for allowing the sandwiches to fall therethrough into a receiving chute 80, formed upon the under side of each of the compartments as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The operation of my machine is generally as follows:

Assuming that all of the sandwich supporting shelves are in their horizontal po sition, and that the endless chain 24 is so positioned that the roller carrying link 25 is disposed beneath the lowermost sandwich supporting shelf, th depos ting of a coin within the coin slot 49 willy-connect the the lowermost arm of the lowermost dog 14:, for releasing the same from the lowermost shelf arm 13, whereupon this shelf will tilt under the weight of the sandwich thereon and the sandwich will drop downwardly through the opening in the bottom wall 20 and then rest in the chute 80, after which the same may be removed. The dog carrying disc 67 is provided with a forwardly extending pin 81, that engages a pin 82 upon the inner side of the open frame 4E3, for preventing the rotation of a shaft more than a onequarter turn. This turn of the shaft is sufficient to actuate the sprocket gear 22, in order to move the roller carrying links from one dog carrying arm to the other. Immediately upon releasing the knob 30, the

shaft will be returned under the action of the spring 60, and the dog 68 carried by the disc 67 will manifestly engage in the next adjacent pocket 70 of the ring gear 37, whereby the subsequent turning movement of the shaft will again actuate the mechanism for moving the chain a desired distance to release the next sandwich supporting shelf.

The specific operation of this machine, as well as numerous advantages thereof will be at once apparent to those skilled in the vending machine art, and even though I have herein shown and described my machine as comprising certain structural details, it is nevertheless to be understood that modifications may be made therein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vending machine of the class described comprising a casing, a vertical wall in said casing, said wall being provided with a plurality of vertically spaced openings, said openings being arranged in alignment with each other, a plurality of vertically spaced superposed article supporting shelves pivotally connected with said wall, each shelf being provided with a retaining arm ex ending in parallelism with said wall, a plurality of superposed latches pivotally mounted upon said wall and having one end projectible through said openings for en gaging said arm to maintain the shelves in horizontal position, a partition disposed in spaced parallelism with said wall, said partition being provided with openings through which the opposite ends of the latches normally extend, an endless chain mounted for rotation in said casing, a trip device carried by chain and cooperable with the last named ends of saidlatches for disengaging 0 them, and a plurality of shoes carried by said chain and cooperable with the openings in said partition to maintain said latche ineffective.

A vending machine, comprising a housing having front, rear, and side Walls, a plurality of gravity tilted article supporting shelves pivotally mounted between the front and rear walls of the housing, in vertical spaced relation, a retaining arm mounted on each shelf and positioned adjacent the front wall of the housing, said front wall having a plurality of openings therein,'across which the retaining arms of the respective shelves are adapted to cling, a plurality of latch members pivotally mounted at the front wall of the housing, and normally having corresponding ends projected through the respective openings for engaging the retaining arms to retain the shelves in article supporting relation, a vertical wall member mounted on the front wall of the housing and having a portion arranged in spaced parallel relation thereto, said portion of the vertical wall member being formed with a plurality of openings for receiving the opposite ends of said latches for projectionthe:ethrough, an end less chain, mounted for movement in one direction in said housing having a plate movable upwardly along said vertical wall member, a trip device carried by said chain for engagement with the last named ends of the latches to trip the latches to successively release said shelves from the bottom toward the top of the housing, and means carried by the chain for engagement with the last named ends of said latches operable to hold the latches in inoperative position, to prevent refitting of the shelves released from said trip means, until all of the shelves in the housing have been released for discharging articles carried thereon.

3. A vending machine, comprising a housing having front, rear, and side walls, a plurality of gravity tilted article supporting shelves pivotally mounted between the front and rear walls of the housing, in vertical spaced relation, a retaining arm mounted on each shelf and positioned adjacent the front wall of the housing, said front wall having a plurality of openings therein, across which the retaining arms of the respective shelves are adapted to cling, a plurality of latch members pivotally mounted at the front wall of the housing and normally having corresponding ends projected through the respective openings for engaging the retaining arms to retain the shelves in article supporting relation, a vertical wall member mounted on the front wall of the housing and having aportion arranged in spaced parallel relation thereto, said portion of the vertical wall member being formed with a plurality of openings for receiving the opposite ends of said latches for projection therethrough, an endless chain mounted for movement in one direction in said housing having a plate movable upwardly along said vertical wall member, said chain including a plurality of pivotally connected links, a trip device carried by one of said links for engagement with the last named end of the latches to trip said latches, for successively releasing the shelves from bottom to top, shoes mounted on a plurality of the links adjacent the link carrying the trip device, followingsaid trip device in the direction of movement of the chain, said shoes being adapted to engage the vertical wall member, and adapted to have their end portions in close proximity with the end portions of adjacent shoes, said shoes being adapted to retain the latches operated by said trip device in inoperative position, until the latches controlling all of the shelves have been released, to permit the dischar e of the articles carried by all of said s elves, and a bearing plate mounted in said housing, adjacent the inner edge of the upwardly moving flight of said chain, adapted to retain the shoes carried by said chains, in engagement with said vertical wall member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALFRED J. FULWOOD. 

